Investing.com – Asian stock markets were mixed on Monday, after China introduced further monetary tightening measures, while shares in Tokyo were weighed by ongoing concerns over the impact on corporate earnings from last month's natural disasters.
During late Asian trade, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index added 0.2%, South Korea's Kospi Composite dipped 0.35%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index edged 0.1% lower.
The People’s Bank of China announced on Sunday that it lifted lenders’ reserve requirements for the fourth time in 2011 in an effort to curb inflation and cool its rapidly growing economy.
In Hong Kong, shares in the financial sector were broadly lower on the news. Shares in China Construction Bank slipped 0.6%, Bank of China Hong Kong saw shares drop 0.55%, while China’s largest lender Industrial and Commercial Bank of China slumped 1.2%.
Elsewhere, Japanese exporters led the Nikkei lower as the yen advanced against the dollar and the euro, denting the outlook for export earnings. Consumer electronics giant Sony saw shares fall 1%, the world’s largest digital camera maker Canon slipped 0.95%, while shares in Nissan shed 0.85%.
Meanwhile, shares in Tokyo Electric Power Company shed 0.2% after it outlined a six-to-nine-month plan to bring its stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into a state of cold shutdown.
Shares in Japan’s third largest wireless carrier Softbank slumped 1.8% after Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock.
Elsewhere, Australia’s ASX/200 Index added 0.45%, as shares in supermarket giant Woolworths jumped 1.5% after it said that third quarter sales rose 5.1% to AUD13.56 billion, as demand at its supermarkets countered falling revenue at its Big W discount outlets.
The outlook for European equity markets, meanwhile, was downbeat. The EURO STOXX 50 futures pointed to a loss of 0.15%, France’s CAC 40 futures slipped 0.12%, the FTSE 100 futures edged 0.08% lower, while Germany's DAX futures shed 0.06%.
Later in the day, the euro zone was to release data on consumer confidence, while in the U.S., Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Richard Fisher was due to speak at two events in Atlanta.
During late Asian trade, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index added 0.2%, South Korea's Kospi Composite dipped 0.35%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index edged 0.1% lower.
The People’s Bank of China announced on Sunday that it lifted lenders’ reserve requirements for the fourth time in 2011 in an effort to curb inflation and cool its rapidly growing economy.
In Hong Kong, shares in the financial sector were broadly lower on the news. Shares in China Construction Bank slipped 0.6%, Bank of China Hong Kong saw shares drop 0.55%, while China’s largest lender Industrial and Commercial Bank of China slumped 1.2%.
Elsewhere, Japanese exporters led the Nikkei lower as the yen advanced against the dollar and the euro, denting the outlook for export earnings. Consumer electronics giant Sony saw shares fall 1%, the world’s largest digital camera maker Canon slipped 0.95%, while shares in Nissan shed 0.85%.
Meanwhile, shares in Tokyo Electric Power Company shed 0.2% after it outlined a six-to-nine-month plan to bring its stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into a state of cold shutdown.
Shares in Japan’s third largest wireless carrier Softbank slumped 1.8% after Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock.
Elsewhere, Australia’s ASX/200 Index added 0.45%, as shares in supermarket giant Woolworths jumped 1.5% after it said that third quarter sales rose 5.1% to AUD13.56 billion, as demand at its supermarkets countered falling revenue at its Big W discount outlets.
The outlook for European equity markets, meanwhile, was downbeat. The EURO STOXX 50 futures pointed to a loss of 0.15%, France’s CAC 40 futures slipped 0.12%, the FTSE 100 futures edged 0.08% lower, while Germany's DAX futures shed 0.06%.
Later in the day, the euro zone was to release data on consumer confidence, while in the U.S., Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Richard Fisher was due to speak at two events in Atlanta.